- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Are the best athletes on the field?
Posted on 10/3/23 at 9:21 am to pitchandcatch27
Posted on 10/3/23 at 9:21 am to pitchandcatch27
quote:
Saban put the best 22 players on the field regardless of their classification.
That is a different question. I assume the OP meant the most talented players. Saban and Kelly have the same philosophy about putting the best players on the field. By “best players” I mean the ones who give us the best chance of winning. But that is not necessarily the most talented players. Saban NEVER would agree that he has to put the talented players on the field. No player, who doesn’t know his assignments, is playing for Saban.
You mentioned classification. Both Saban and Kelly will kick an upperclassmen to the curb in favor of a freshman who is better. That’s why Kole Taylor is playing for West Virginia and Mason Taylor is playing for LSU. There are tons of examples, just on this LSU team.
We started two freshmen tackles last season. We are working Heard into the lineup this year. Mason Taylor, Mac Markway, Chestnut is on the bench for younger players, Whit Weeks is playing, Ryan Yaites, etc.
That’s a lengthy list, but I’m sure you’ll find some other egregious example of a superstar sitting the bench - until they play your superstar and he’s not.
2
Posted on 10/3/23 at 9:30 am to Penrod
Jackson should be behind Diggs not Emery or Williams.
Posted on 10/3/23 at 10:06 am to Penrod
Some excellent posts, Penrod.
Many fans do not understand one of the most important principles in sports: the most physically gifted player is often not the best player. Many physically gifted players are not great competitors (they never had to be to be successful prior to college), or they do not like contact, or they cannot learn the schemes- does not mean they are dumb, but means they do not have a good football IQ.
The best football players are those that have football instincts and understand the game. The truly great football players are those that are the most physically gifted and are also great competitors, and have great football IQ. There are very few of these.
Unfortunately, most fans do not understand this and are enamored with the most physically gifted players; these are typically the players that were most highly rated coming out of high school- their physical gifts allowed them to dominate even if they are not true competitors or have a low football IQ. If these guys are not producing on the field, it is the coaches fault, or if they are not getting to play the coach has no idea what he is doing.
Kelly is playing more freshman players than I can remember- starting two true freshman tackles last year was something I have never seen at a major program. That said volumes about OL-poor LSU was when he arrived.
All that being said, the defense we fielded against Ole Miss was disgraceful. Our total inability to control the edge, and failure to make adjustments to establish containment appeared to be a total coaching failure. We also allowed Dart to convert way too many 1st downs with his feet, and we never used a spy on long yardage 3rd down plays. The number of missed tackles was astounding and indicates that we are not teaching tackling fundamentals.
I do not believe our problems were caused by not playing the right players. I think the defensive coaching was likely the biggest issue.
Many fans do not understand one of the most important principles in sports: the most physically gifted player is often not the best player. Many physically gifted players are not great competitors (they never had to be to be successful prior to college), or they do not like contact, or they cannot learn the schemes- does not mean they are dumb, but means they do not have a good football IQ.
The best football players are those that have football instincts and understand the game. The truly great football players are those that are the most physically gifted and are also great competitors, and have great football IQ. There are very few of these.
Unfortunately, most fans do not understand this and are enamored with the most physically gifted players; these are typically the players that were most highly rated coming out of high school- their physical gifts allowed them to dominate even if they are not true competitors or have a low football IQ. If these guys are not producing on the field, it is the coaches fault, or if they are not getting to play the coach has no idea what he is doing.
Kelly is playing more freshman players than I can remember- starting two true freshman tackles last year was something I have never seen at a major program. That said volumes about OL-poor LSU was when he arrived.
All that being said, the defense we fielded against Ole Miss was disgraceful. Our total inability to control the edge, and failure to make adjustments to establish containment appeared to be a total coaching failure. We also allowed Dart to convert way too many 1st downs with his feet, and we never used a spy on long yardage 3rd down plays. The number of missed tackles was astounding and indicates that we are not teaching tackling fundamentals.
I do not believe our problems were caused by not playing the right players. I think the defensive coaching was likely the biggest issue.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News